t R Class Bailey´s Route

‹
ROUTED LETTERING
Anthony Bailey's method for
sign-writing with your router
1
On your PC, choose a simple font shape, blow it up and print,
if necessary, across two sheets of A4 paper. I chose an outline
setting which uses less ink and makes it easier when marking
out the guidebush allowance. Spraymount it to 6mm MDF
ECT
THE PROJ
3
I needed a new name sign for our house and
so I thought I would try making my own. Now, we
already have a large No.59 on the wall, and previously
the house was called Sportsview as the house
overlooks the village sports ground, but all the
utilities keep sending us mail with the original name,
Roseland - so that was what we decided to put on the
house sign, as we have roses in the garden.
Fit a straight cutter that matches the guidebush – fortunately,
a 16mm cutter will exactly match the size. In 6mm stock you
will need two passes to break through into a sacrificial board
placed underneath. Start with the trickiest curved shapes,
so if it goes wrong you haven’t wasted lots of effort making
the whole template! Proceed with care, following the pencil
lines and avoid moving from side to side as it will widen the
guidebush slots
PHOTOGRAPHS BY GMC/ANTHONY BAILEY
T
he router is still the most versatile
power tool there is. Along with a vast
range of cutters, jigs and gadgets –
many of which you can also make for yourself
– it can help produce high-quality woodwork.
This series is intended to show you what the
router can do, while assuming the reader has
a general level of woodworking knowledge.
We hope to show you the aspects of each
project that specifically involve the router
and how this great bit of kit can expand your
woodworking skills.
Each month we will highlight the jigs,
cutters and gadgets you will need to help
you get more from this incredible machine.
Feel free to send us pictures of your routing
endeavours, or post them on the WPP forum
at: www.woodworkersinstitute.com
6 WOODWORKING PLANS & PROJECTS ISSUE 58
2
Mark down the centre of each letter form and then mark
outwards each side half the guidebush diameter, in this case
8mm, as it was a 16mm guidebush. Most lines can be ruled but
curved shapes require a bit of careful hand finesse in drawing
them out
4
The vertical legs of each letter are done using a router
T-square clamped on the board. Note how the slots are not only
wider than the original letter profiles but also overrun to meet
the top and bottom guidebush pencil lines
6
5
The lengthwise slots are made using a batten as a fence.
Short straight sections of letters are also done at the same
time, linking up with the previous freehand curves. You
will probably notice that some letters such as O and A may
be taller than other squarer letters – this is because it is
intended to look more visually pleasing
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ROUTED LETTERING
Routed lettering
‹
Plans & Projects magazine and GMC Publications
Use a sharp chisel
to help lift the
paper off and
clean away any
sticky residue
with white spirit.
Check the shapes
are smooth and
use a half round
file to correct any
obvious defects in
the shaping
7
The house name template ready for use. It is only going to be
used once but as you proceed in setting out and machining it,
the process gets easier. The tricky shapes are, of course, any
curves as they will be formed freehand. Once made and the
shapes cleaned up, the actual name sign isn’t difficult to make
ISSUE 58 WOODWORKING PLANS & PROJECTS 7
‹
PROJECT
THE JIG
PROJECT
s
s
a
l
C
r
e
t
u
o
R
s
´
y
e
Bail
This article is reproduced by kind permission of Woodworking
‹
PROJECT
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Top row: 16mm straight cutter to match guidebush size; 45° V-point used with the
16mm guidebush; combined drill/countersink for the nameplate fixing holes; and a
bearing guided 45° bevel cutter used to chamfer the edges of the board.
ROUTED LETTERING
ROUTED LETTERING
PROJECT
RS
UTTE
C
E
H
T
Bottom row – alternative cutters: tiny Milescraft V-point; larger 45° V-point; Trend
CraftPro 60° two and three blade V-point; and a Wealden three blade V-point. These
latter ones give a cleaner cut and the 60° angle cut often looks better.
...
IT
G
N
I
K
A
M
6
The first thing is to make a test piece
and then machine all of it out. This
takes only five minutes or so and
reveals any problems before you
commit to decent timber. I used
a piece of birch ply because, as the
layers are revealed, any errors in
the shaping of the template are shown
up. Fit the correct guidebush and
a V-point cutter of the most suitable
diameter. The cuts are done in one
plunge and unplunged immediately
each cut is done, to avoid creating
burning and divots. If you look
carefully the R, O, S in particular have
problems, looking distinctly uneven
The whole name board machined. There were a several places
where the guidebush hadn’t quite reached properly – a couple
of careful passes ensured the letter shapes were complete
3
1
2
More filing of the template was required
so the curves are smoother still. If the
guidebush becomes stuck anywhere,
relieve those slots a fraction so the router
can move easily
7
As a result of the trial cut, I determined
that the S needed the guidebush
pushed against the outside of the
template shape and down halfway
from the top and halfway from the
bottom to meet in the middle, so there
was less strain on the thin peninsula
sections in the middle. The E's vertical
leg needed the cut to be on the
outside so it didn’t wander where the
crosspieces are. The N needed a clean
slotting motion in two halves, again
from top and from the bottom, so it
would avoid the damage that occurred
on the test piece. The felt-tip marking
is a reminder for when I was machining
10
9
8
A combined drill and countersink
designed for routing makes fast work
of the screw fixing holes. The original
template pin holes have vanished in
the process
Router torque
4
The template needs to be pinned carefully on to a pre-sized
timber blank. Mark the limits of the lettering height and
length accurately on the blank and the position of the
intended wall screw fixing holes. Now, sit the template over
the blank, siting the pencil lines previously drawn, and then
pin through the template where the screw holes will be.
Thus the template is correctly centred and once the machining
is done, the pin holes will be drilled through anyway, so no
unsightly filler is needed
8 WOODWORKING PLANS & PROJECTS ISSUE 58
Q
Tool manufacturers seem to fall over
each other to bring out new and
better cordless tools – but no cordless
router? Wouldn’t that be really useful, being
able to work wire-free on site or in the
workshop? Is it really so hard to make one?
5
When freehand shaping the template, a base grip gives better
control, but once the template is fitted on the timber blank,
you can revert to the more usual knob grip. Plunge to depth
and machine in one smooth action and avoid stopping, as this
will result in burns. Follow your own advice arrows so you
end up with the neatest possible result. Each time you lift
the router off, tip the chippings out of the template so the
guidebush can move right to the end of each shape
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The nearly finished result, just a little tidying required with
a sharp chisel to smooth the transition between slots where
they meet
A
A good point, it would make our lives
a lot easier not having to fight with
cables or find a convenient socket outlet.
Unfortunately, I don’t think the present
situation is about to change. Some years ago,
The nameboard needs a bevelled edge to
look more finished and to help water run
off. Do this on the router table using a 45°
bevel cutter and a through-fence, so you
can easily and safely bevel the ends of the
board before doing the lengthwise bevels
to help prevent breakout
Porter Cable from the USA did have a 19.2 volt
model that could handle reasonably sized
cutters and was a fixed base type, where you
wound the motor up and down inside the
body. However, it got dropped from their range
so one must suppose the demand wasn’t that
great – although it was quite well regarded.
I think the technological problems of creating
enough power and prolonged battery life in
a machine that operates at such high speeds
defeats power tool manufacturers, or at least
isn’t worth the investment, so just hitch that
cable from the ceiling out of your way and
keep an extension lead handy. ■
Email your router questions to: [email protected]
www.woodworkersinstitute.com
To emphasise the letters and hide any
burn marks, you can always infill them
with paint, either by brush or my lazy
method – laying the template on top as
a crude mask and spraying them black.
Once the paint is dry, the top is sanded
smooth, removing all overspray or
surplus brush paint completely before
applying an all-weather varnish finish.
The sign's now ready to hang
Porter Cable's discontinued
cordless fixed-base router
ISSUE 58 WOODWORKING PLANS & PROJECTS 9